DESIGN DILEMMAS

Mistakes that are often made by builders /developers:

• Deck is too small (an adult playpen!)
• Deck has no access to ground
• Material is inappropriate and style of deck doesn’t match house
• Deck is overdone- too many levels, fussy railings etc.
• Deck has one long straight staircase down to ground
• The scale is wrong- deck appears too high and uses flimsy posts

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An example of a functional, multi-level deck transitioning into the slope

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What Designers can do

• Pay attention to function- what do clients really want to use deck for? ( entertainment, eating, access to a view, casual seating, cooking?)
• Pay attention to what room the deck is accessed from.
• Look at the contouring of the land under and around the deck, the overall height from access points, and the polar orientation.(N,S,E,W)
• Pull details from the architecture into the deck (railing, overall shape)
• Create multi-levels so deck flows into the garden.
• Create layering at ground level to pull the garden up to the deck (terracing, raised beds, arbors, and trellising)
• Compose plants with the deck in mind ( shade, air circulation, framing, views)
• Create built-ins when possible (overhead lathe roof, benches, etc.)
• Break away from the rectangular shapes that are parallel to the house- (use 45 degree, curves)
• Think of the deck as a floating room with walls, floors and ceiling
• Look at the details- edges, trim, railings, overheads.
• Combine and integrate decks with other textural flooring and ground surfaces ( pavers, brick, stone, water)
• Allow enough space for the deck furniture and pedestrian movement.